Bits and pieces of my life. I am a lifelong Christian. I have been married for over 39 years to Stan. No children. We have 3 Italian Greyhounds: Persephone, Dresden & Capodimonte and a calico cat named Binky. We have 9 nieces/nephews and 9 grandnieces/nephews whom we love. My hobbies are genealogy, reading, digital scrapbooking, history, dogs, homemaking. This is a personal blog and not a business. I share what interests me and I am not selling anything or making a profit.

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..........Contact me at Mom25dogs@gmail.com.........

Monday, October 26, 2015

Things Found In The Homes Of Happy People

I made a list of thing that I believe make us happier people. Do you have them in your home?

A well read Bible - not just a coffee table Bible (for show) but one that has been read, underlined, notes made in margins. It reveals someone who cares about learning the Word of God on a regular basis.

Devotionals and Journals - I believe meditative writing is another way to exorcise bad feelings and deal with them in a healthy way. I don't believe just writing bad feelings down gets rid of them. I believe reading God's Word, praying and then writing means we are doing it in a HEALTHY way! We are not repressing and we are not obsessing, we are letting go and letting God.

A well loved and well cared for pet - It cannot be beat for helping you to feel loved and relaxed. It also helps you be accountable to walking the dog (exercise) and getting up and taking care of your dogs (getting you out of bed when you may not feel like it). It can help teach children compassion and how to be responsible for another living being.

Hobbies - Everyone needs a hobby to some degree. We can overdo it and spend too much time and money in hobbies. So balance is essential. But we do need areas of interest outside our every day work. It encourages us to learn and stretch beyond our normal every day routines. It can be a creative hobby which stimulates imagination and gives you an outlet for creativity. It should be a stress reliever and not a hobby that adds stress. If you go on the golf course and compete and get angry, then maybe that shouldn't be your hobby. You want to be able to relax, enjoy, get your mind of things for awhile.

A little bit of mess - Again, there must be balance. If you have too much mess and clutter then you WON'T be able to relax. But if you are so OCD that you can't have anything out of place, then you are also out of balance. I love a clean and organized home. But if I kill myself and drive everyone crazy with it, I'm out of balance. I should be able to leave the dishes in the sink overnight if necessary. I should be able to re-schedule my laundry day if necessary. That doesn't mean I procrastinate and never get it done. But it means I'm not so regimented that I can't be a little flexible.

Family items - Now I realize that some families lose everything in natural disasters. That is totally understandable. But if you have the option and you have saved some family items, that means you have a loving family, one with good memories and you wanted to save something of their's. Hand-me-downs have something going for them that no new piece ever can: history. On the other hand, again with the balance. You can't save everything your grandmother touched. We have to be selective and use commonsense and wisdom. But I have a lot of items that remind me of my family because I love my family and have good memories.

Used luxuries - I remember finding a dusty box in my Grandmother's closet. When I opened it, I found a beautiful set of towels with handmade crocheted edges. When I asked her about it, she said they had been a wedding present (in 1933!). I asked her why she hadn't used them and she said, "Because they are too good!" She had been hoarding something because they were too good to use. What a waste. I don't want to buy a candle and never burn it. I don't want to spend money on an evening gown and never get to wear it. If I'm going to buy something, I want to get their use. Don't spend money on something that you keep wrapped in tissue paper and boxed in a dark corner. Use it. Having small luxuries and using them are treats to yourself and make you feel pampered. So if you buy that special floral lotion... use it. If you buy that favorite perfume... use it. If you receive a gift of a pretty piece of jewelry... wear it. Treat yourself!